Classics Revisited: Nike Air Jet Flight (2001)

We can’t have a week-long tribute to Nike Basketball during the early 2000’s without a reference to one of the true evolutionary pieces of Nike history, now can we? While the low-cut sneaker boom might be credited to Kobe Bryant, it was the Air Zoom Jet Flight of 2001 that should garner all the props. Like the Air Flight Max III of the same year, the Air Jet Flight resembles a running shoe more than it does a basketball shoe. Structurally, the Air Jet Flight was a beauty. Build on a midsole that featured high-volume visible Max Air on the heel and fore-foot Zoom Air with a high-wrap midsole and a TPU-support midfoot strap, the Air Jet Flight was on a separate playing field from anything Nike Basketball had done before. While there wasn’t much ankle support in this low-cut construction, the strong and sturdy heel-counter as well as the strap is what kept the athlete upright in position. Much of the Air Jet Flight Max concept is used in the current wave of highly-praised Zoom Kobe releases, and much like the Kobes, the Air Jet Flight wasn’t exclusively a guard’s shoe; it was worn by Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Dirk Nowitzki, Keith Van Horn, Jason ‘White Chocolate’ Williams, and Bruce Bowen. The Air Jet Flight is considered, by serious ballers, as one of the best of the decade, so familiarize yourself with this Nike Basketball gem below and stay tuned for more Classics Revisited throughout the week!